The Guru in You invites you to embark on a journey to reconnect with your body and discover its natural ability to heal. As the first male supermodel, Cameron Alborzian had a life that many dream of — traveling the globe, working with the most prestigious designers in the world, partying with celebrities, and appearing in major ad campaigns and cultural landmarks like Madonna's "Express Yourself" video. But his real achievement came when he decided to leave the material world of high fashion and investigate the ancient art of Ayurvedic healing. What he learned changed his life, and, after years of study, he now works with everyone from Hollywood celebrities to executives of international corporations to bring balance, improved health, and inner peace to their busy lives. The tools he provides for his clients are now available to all with The Guru in You.

Most of us will never have a live-in guru, but Yogi Cameron provides the next best thing: an easy-to-follow program, guiding you to better health and happiness. The Guru in You lays the foundation for change, helping us identify our unhealthy patterns and set our intentions. It then provides you with a customizable plan. Whatever your body type and temperament, Yogi Cameron offers diet, supplements, breathing exercises, and yoga tailored just for you. This is not a one-size-fits all program but an invitation to develop a practice that you'll take with you for the rest of your life.

Yogi Cameron teaches us the ancient wisdom that we all have the power to heal ourselves. By developing a practice that works for your individual needs, you will forever improve how you eat, sleep, work, and exercise.

Yogi Cameron invites us to discover what he has learned firsthand: the material world will not bring sustainable happiness, but we can all find joy if we pursue a meaningful path toward balancing our body and mind. With this book, you can be guided by the guru in you.

Cameron Alborzian is an Ayurveda and Yoga Therapist offering natural medicines and treatments to help people live a healthier and happier life. Born in Iran and raised in England, Yogi Cameron trained at the Integral Yoga Institute in New York City, and in India at Arsha Yoga, where he studied Ayurveda for five years. During his modeling career, Alborzian worked for Versace, Armani, Chanel, Gucci, Guess and Dolce & Gabbana. His recent media coverage includes The Ellen Degeneres Show, Extra, Glamour, Elle, Allure,and Vogue. www.yogicameron.com

Excerpt:

Sit Before You Veg

If you’re like almost everyone I know, your first impulse when you get home from a long day at work or a busy day running errands is to grab a bag of chips, a beer, or some kind of snack, sprawl out on the couch, and watch TV for four hours before going to bed. You may have had a conflict with a co-worker or felt overwhelmed by the long lines at the supermarket, and with so much drudgery and frustration, the last thing you want to do is something productive—like reading to your kids, paying your bills, or finishing certain chores.

This makes perfect sense. When we feel overwhelmed by the dense energy that fills our hectic lives, we think we need to neutralize the bad heaviness with things that supposedly make us feel good: eating sweet and oily foods, watching aimless television programs, and finding the most horizontal position we can for our bodies to experience weightlessness. While these may seem satisfying at the moment, they add heaviness to our material bodies, which burdens us and keeps us further entrenched in our own suffering.

This exercise calls upon you to create a short sitting practice for yourself when you feel you’re ready to submit to your end-of-day impulses or even sleepiness at the office. It is designed to foster alertness, which will counter the inevitable lethargy of a taxing day. When you’re done with work or errands or have finished your dinner, find somewhere quiet in your home or office to sit in a basic cross-legged position. This can be in the middle of the floor, against a wall, or even on a chair with your feet on the ground if you find significant discomfort in sitting with crossed legs. Close your eyes, and take long and slow breaths. Breathe in through your nose for a count of three, and then breathe out through your nose for a count of six. Repeat this thirty times or however many times you feel comfortable with. The breathing will deliver more oxygen to your entire body, which will stimulate cellular activity in the brain and calm the nerves. In later chapters you will learn more about breathing, sitting, and other elements of this exercise, but for now consider the following points:

• As this exercise is designed to foster alertness, it is important to have an erect spine. If sitting cross-legged makes your shoulders slump forward and your lower back sink, sit on a couple of folded blankets or a yoga block to raise your pelvis. This will help to properly align your spine.

• If breathing in and out through your nose is difficult for you, try breathing in through your nose and then out through your mouth.

Once you’ve completed the breathing, sit for a moment and observe how you feel about vegging out as opposed to doing something you’ve been putting off. Do you want to spend the whole evening watching TV (the TV eventually watches you), or do you want to watch only one of the four shows? Do you want to eat those chips (which eventually become you), or are you willing to try a piece of fruit, sip some herbal tea, or not consume anything at all? A great first step in becoming more aware of your place in this material world is to challenge yourself to crave a lighter energy, and this awareness can begin with the heaviest hours of your day.